Cover for leaf springs and method for making



March 12, 1929. B. e. GILBOUGH COVER FOR LEAF SPRINGS AND METHOD FOR MAKING 2 Sheets-Shet Filed Aug. 5, 1925 March 12, 1929. B. e. GILBOUGH' COVER FOR LEAF SPRINGS AND METHOD FOR MAKING Filed Aug- 1925 2 Shets-Sheet IIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIA fwvewfar:

Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES BENJAMIN G. GILBOUGH, OF SAN GABRIEL, CALIFORNIA.

COVER FOR LEAF SPRINGS AND METHOD FOR MAKING.

Application filed August 3, 1925. Serial No. 47,790.

This invention relates to means for substantially enclosing laminated, vehicle springs.

More particularly the present invention Ire lates to a cover and method of making and applying the same for leaf or laminated sprlngs of vehicles.

It is an object of the invention to provide a sectional rebound cover structure, for laminated springs, of a form that may be easily fitted and secured and in which the sections are each substantially independent of the 'other and which envelop a porous medium laid upon and around the spring body to'be enclosed. 7

An object is to provide a sectional spring cover consisting of a number of independent clips having a minimum degree of relative movement and at the same time each being substantially free from any flexure or bending action and therefore preventing crystallization of the clip members as results in spring covers including parts which must constantly flex, bend or weave in conformlty with the bending of the spring structure.

An object is to provide a means and method whereby a spring cover can be readily selected-according to size of the spring to be covered and readily applied, all with the object of requiring but a small investment in parts to be carried in stock and yet enable the assembly and application of parts readily and quickly according to various sizes of springs. In this connection, it is an object to provide a spring cover having sections of extremel simple form and which can be carried in stoc in blank or fiat form to conserve space, and which can be readily bent to the desired spring-fitting outline when they are robe, and as, apphed. It also is an ob ect to provide a sectional spring covering or element which may be readily removed and therefore enable the renewal of parts without the removal of the entire device from its spring.

Another object is to provide a shoe having sectionsconstructed and arranged to prevent undue wear as upon the parts of the device. Another object is to provide for the introduction of a lubricant at any point along the sprin cover and eliminate the requirement of fittings and appliances and eliminating the use of ordinary type of grease or oil cups and the like. a

An object is to provide a covering which is formed of independently moving clips covering the entire working portion of the spring and which, while preventing excessive separat1on of the leaves under rebound, at the same time Wlll not produce an undesired degree of resistance to the action of the leaves of the sprmg.

An important object is to provide a spring,

cover devoid of parts'which must, within themselves, have a flexible action, and therefore an ob ect is to provide a structure which w1ll be free from crystallization due to flexure of the spring and at the same time an object 18 to provide a cover which is practically form fitting and will be sufiiciently tight to retain the lubricating medium and enable the same to flow rapidly into the interstices between the leaves of the spring and which also will allow ready atmospheric action for the forcmg of the lubricant into the interstices durmg spring action. In this connection, an obect 1s to provide a covering which will operate to maintain such a head of oil as to cause it to flow by gravity to and between the leaves of the spring which is enclosed.

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following specification of embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

F igure 1 is a plan, partly broken away, showing the device as applied to one end of a laminated spring.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of device as applied.

' Figure 3 is a side elevation of the device.

the

Figure 4 is a cross section on line 44 of Figure 7 is an elevational and sectional view showing a modified form. of the clipcover.

Figure 8 is a cross section on line 8-8 of Fig.

Figure 9 is a perspective of an inverted clip of the type shown in Fig. 7.-

Figure 10 is a perspective of an inverted clip top.

Figure 11 is a perspective clip shoe.

' igure 12 shows a system of various sizes of clip tops.

In Figures 1 tot, inclusive, and in Fig. 12, one embodiment of the im roved cover is shown asconsisting of a num er of clip units.

Each unit consists of a substantially U-shaped top member 2, the si de walls 2 of which are perforated toreceive any suitable fastening means as rivets l. These rivets pass through flanges 5 of a longitudinally extending shoe 5 which includes a forwardly extendingtongue 5 and a rearwardly extending short tongue 5. The width of the top 2 is such that it is adapted to straddle down over and encompass a porous jacket 6, of any suitable material, such for instance as felt, laid around and substantially encompassing a laminated spring structure S. The porous jacket 6 preferably extends continuously across the bottom and up the sides of the spring and the marginal, overlapping portions of the jacket lie along the top of the spring and form a channel or canal 7 along the top leaf for the ready flow of a suitable lubricant, such as oil, down along the leaf and laterally to the sides of the s ring. Thus the lubricant from the channel? flows into the side wall portion of the acket 6 and from these-may flow or be forced inwardly by atmospheric pressure into the interstices between the spring leaves.

A complete unit or clip structure is illustrated in Figure 6 in the inverted position. A number ofthese units are adapted to be aligned along the bending portion of the spring S, as in Figures 1 and 2, with the longer tongue 5 of one unit projecting well up over and bearing upon the body portion 5 of the next shoe while the shorter, end

tongues 5 projects somewhat from the opposite end of the shoe.

When a series of units is assembled, the flanges 5 lie substantially in'parallelism and are overlapped at their ends by the corners 2 of the top walls 2, which therefore serve to prevent the corners of the flanges 5 from overlapping each other and at the same time allows the units to weave or shift independently of each other and without any flexure inherently when and as the spring S bends.

The extension of the corners 2 beyond the contiguous ends of the flanges 5 permits of the projection of one end of each top element in under and telescopically into the contiguous and outer end of the next section; the

[top members being shown as converging slightly in Figure l to permit of this telesco ic action of one unit in the other.

rom this it will be seen that when a series of the units have been assembled, they are not directly connected but are free from each other and form a substantial enclosure or cover for the entire working portion of a spring. The provision of the longitudinally extending lubricant channel 7 under the'tops 2 between the longitudinal edges of the jacket 6 enables the ready introduction of a lubricant as by the insertion of a tool T beneath an edge of the top of a unit, as in Figure 2, when the top isbent upwardly as shown. 'By

the use of a tool as shown the lubricant can be injected at any point along the top or along the sides of the spring by merely inserting the tool beneath an edge of a unit.

In Figure 5 the side flanges or walls 2 of a unit may be of sufficient length as at 2 to be shoulders 26, Figure 11. Each shoe has at one' end an extending tongue 25 and at the opposite end a shorter extending tongue 25 which has an upturned lip 27.

When a series of tops and shoes 20-25 are assembled, as in Figure 9, the hook portions 20 at the narrower end of each clip extend telescopically into the contiguous wider end of the next clip; this being permitted by the cutaway corners of the end portions 25. I

Undue longitudinal shiftin of the units as to the spring S is prevented y the engagement of the upturned lip 27 of one shoe against the contiguous, inturned hook or flange portions 20 of a side wall 20. The flanges 25 of each shoe are interhooked beneath the hook portions 20 and therefore, while permitted to have desirable play, at the same time are sustained and held in assembled position without requirement of extraneous fastening means, such for instance as rivets 4 shown in Figure 6.

One of the important objects of my inven-' tion is to provide a system and method enabling a garage or other service establishment to carry in stock, in knocked-down condition for economical storage purposes, a minimum number of parts so that,,presented with a given size spring, there may be readily constructed and applied a complete cover consisting of the necessary number and proper garage or service establishment may select a suitable number of eachtype when called upon to fit and cover a spring.

The blanks 2 of a selected set of duplicates are adapted to be quickly and readily folded to the desired U-shaped form, Figures 6 and 10, and straddled upon the spring to be fitted, and the desired width of shoe 5 or 25 is at tached to the applied clip as in Figures 1 or 7, until the entire bending end of the spring only two major parts, and these are adapted to be manufactured, distributed and stored in substantially flat form for economy in transportation and storage space and charges.

It will further be seen that the complete cover is adapted to be built up as required on demand of the service establishment, although it is to be understood that if desired the units may be manufactured insubstantially complete form in readiness to be assemhled upon a spring in series by the mere application of the rivets 4, when such are employed, or by the final bending of the hook portions 20, as shown in Figure 9, when the device is of this type Further embodiments, modifications and variations maybe resorted to Within the principle of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A laminated spring cover consisting of a series of relatively movable units having top and bottom plates each with side flanges which are interconnected beyond the bottom of the spring.

2. A laminated spring cover consisting of a series of relatively movable units arranged in a series along a spring and having contiguous ends telescoping in each other and each unit having a tongue extending into the next to bridgeleaf shoulders of the spring, the units eachcomprising top and bottom elements with overlapping side flanges; said 7 tongue extending beyond the ends of the side flanges of its unit element.

3. A laminated spring cover consisting of a plurality of units arranged in a series along a spring and having contiguous ends telescoping in each other whereby the cover as a whole is adapted to bend without the flexing of any one of the units inherently, each unit including a box section having side flanges projecting beyond the spring, and a plate having side flanges overlapped by the projectingportions of the flanges and connected therewith.

4. A laminated spring cover comprising a g series of relatively movable units, each unit consisting of a top element having side flanges to lie against and project from the sprin a bottom element having downturned side flanges overlapped by the side flanges which project, and means for attaching the top element and the bottom element together to complete a unit.

5. A laminated spring cover consisting of a plurality of independent units, each unit comprising a top element having side flanges, a bottom element having side flanges, and means for attaching the top element and the bottom element together to complete a unit; the bottom element having a tongue at one end extended beyond the flanges to lap with in and rest upon the bottom of the next contiguous unit.

6. A laminated spring cover consisting of a series of relatively independent units, each unit consisting of a top element having side flanges to lie against the side of the spring, a bottom element having downturned side flanges extending away from the spring, and

a series of relatively independent units, each unit consisting of a top element having side flanges, a bottom element having side flanges, and means for attaching the top element and the bottom element together to complete a unit, said means including inwardly turned, hook-like flange portions provided along the side flanges of the top element,'and which overlap the flanges of the bottom element.

8. A laminated spring cover consistin of a series of independent units each including a top element having outer side flanges and a bottom element having inner side flanges bearing on respective sides of the outer flanges; the inner flanges of the series being substantially in alignment along the sides of the units, whereby their contiguous ends will abut to limit longitudinal shifting of the units, the units having limited free relative longitudinal movement. 

